Hello Mean Grean Fans!

Hook 'em & Go Green · February 16, 2008

Hi Mean Green fans… I decided to join this board yesterday after simply lurking and reading it over the last year and a half since beginning graduate school at UNT last fall. As you may have guessed from my handle, I am a graduate of UT and a die-hard Longhorn fan. I graduated from UT in 2002 and still am a season ticket holder with my wonderful seats in the west side upper deck on the 20-yard line, 6 rows from the very top with an illustrious view of I-35. Anyway, I’m quite the sports fanatic and have enjoyed going to some Mean Green athletic events while living here in Denton. I grew up in San Antonio and am a huge Spurs fan as well (much to the dismay of my roommates).

I moved to Denton in 2006 when I started school at UNT to work on some undergrad courses required of me before beginning my graduate work in Fall ’07 in the journalism department. I got to witness the Mean Green beat WKU in wet and cold conditions in the home finale last season. Prior to that I had never seen them win in person. The only other games I saw them play in were in Austin, when I was wearing orange, and saw them lose by one point to FAU in the ’06 season.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself to the board and say that I wish UNT athletics nothing but success in the future. I hope Todd Dodge can turn things around and get UNT winning the SBC regularly again. In the long-term I think UNT has a lot going for it and should have its sights set on bigger conferences like C-USA or the MWC. Last season I flew to Orlando and watched the Horns open UCF’s new stadium. I thought to myself that UCF should be a blueprint for what UNT should aspire to. UCF gave UT all we could handle that game. There’s no reason UNT couldn’t have that kind of support with the size of the enrollment, the alumni fan base, and the DFW community.

All that being said, I have a few questions to pose to you guys. What is the timetable for the new stadium I keep reading about? When would it open? What are your dream scenarios for UNT’s future conference affiliation? Personally, I’d like to see them in C-USA with UH, Rice, SMU, and UTEP. Who knows what might happen the next time there is a major shakeup in conference alignments in the college football landscape. If the Big East expands and invites a few current C-USA members, I would like to think that UNT would be on a short list to get invited to join C-USA.

I look forward to joining in on discussions with y’all in the future…

Hook ‘em & Go Green!

Boomer23 · February 16, 2008

Welcome to the board, but with all those questions, you are about to open a big can of worms and this thread may continue forever or get locked down.

Anyways Welcome.

stebo · February 16, 2008

Welcome and I think you will find yourself in good company here. We have quite a few Longhorn fans that have adopted the Mean Green as their second team. I have to warn you... we have converted a few of them. I think it is the whole "Everyone loves an underdog" type of thing. As to your questions about the stadium... well, we have really already started on it... the Mean Green Athletic Center is the end zone deck for the new stadium. The stadium will need about $60 million to get built and at last count - the athletic dept has raised about $6 million of that. The stadium will probably have to be bonded out, all fund raising has been small donors with the excpetion for 3 (three) $1 million dollar gifts. I think that you will see the stadium break ground after the 2008 season to be opened by 2009 or 2010. We will probably be forced to build without full funding and hope for funding or a student service fee to bail it out. I know - not like things are done down south in Austin.. but it is the reality of a Non-BCS school. We do not have the same rules as a school like UCF. UCF was allowed to use state funds to build their stadium. FIU (in the Belt) is doing the same - along with a large student fee... and FAU has the same plans. In Texas, State law prohibits a school from using public money to pay for facilities unless they have classrooms in them. So I imagine that the stadium will be a multi-use facility like the Super Pit - where some classrooms are incorporated into the stadium's design. Now - those are all pesimistic views - but realistic at the same time. The fact of the matter is the stadium will be built... and it will not be a big erector set like UCF. UCF ran out of money doing that pre-fab stadium and costs were nearly double the estimate. If they had just spent the same amount on a brick and mortar stadium; they probably could have spent the same money and had something really special there. I think it is a nice, servicable stadium - but it is definitely lacking in cosmetic areas (I have read that they had to ditch public water fountains because it would have put the budget over another $5 million and they just didn't have it). But they got their 45K seats that were filled for that one game... I think that I would take a nice 35K seat stadium that will be 2/3 full most games and sold out for big games.

Welcome aboard and thank you for your student service fees - you are helping to build the stadium and you don't even realize it

DeepGreen · February 16, 2008

Welcome to the board! Sorry your first UNT game was the WKU "freezer game" with hardly a soul in the stands. Thanks for attending.

Here's what you need to do: forget about the UT season tickets - there will be 100 UT fans ready to take over the seat(s) for you. Instead, buy season tickets to UNT games this season, donate a little to the Mean Green club, and pocket the money you'll surely have left over. :lol:

BTW, I have several UT Alum in my family.

NT80 · February 16, 2008

Welcome to the board. Have you ever talked in person to the UT AD or Head Coach? You will be afforded much more access to coaches and admins at UNT just for being a general fan than you can ever get at other programs unless you are a mega-$-donor. UNT's new stadium will happen and it will be first class but cost less than UT's new endzone complex with 50-yard line seats less expensive than their endzone seats. Welcome to college football the way it was meant to be...for the real fan, not just the corporate donor.

stebo · February 16, 2008

I am actually down in Austin right now and we just drove by the stadium with one of the students... where I saw (guess what!) - big cranes and construction. I was asking the student what was being built. She had no idea at all. None. If NT was to build another 4K seats it would be on every page of the school paper, would have to go to the regents... there would be arguments about it... there would be editorials written about how the athletic dept was getting too big and that the teachers at NT are underpaid... here, in Austin - they don't even know it is going on. That is the beast that we have to "try" to keep up with... makes for a very, very difficult journey.

Edited February 16, 2008 by stebo

SUMG · February 16, 2008

I am actually down in Austin right now and we just drove by the stadium with one of the students... where I saw (guess what!) - big cranes and construction. I was asking the student what waqs being built. She had no idea at all. None. If NT was to ass another 4K seats it would be on every page of the school paper, would have to go to the regents... there would be arguments about it... there would be editorials written about how the athletic dept was getting too big and that the teachers at NT were underpaid... here, in Austin - they don't even know it is going on. That is the beast that we have to "try" to keep with... makes for a very, very difficult journey.

Steve,

Those might be some new end zone seats they're adding. There was an ad in the DMN the other day, advertising the availability of them. You have to give UT Athletics $750...just to have the right to buy those new (end zone) seats.

Edited February 16, 2008 by SUMG

stebo · February 16, 2008

Yep, the cranes were in the North end zone... you are right. When I got back to the hotel room I looked it up and there was a blurb about it in the local student paper. They are also renovating some East side stadium club seats to have air conditioning. Geez... air conditioning??? It's a football game!

NT80 · February 17, 2008

Yep, the cranes were in the North end zone... you are right. When I got back to the hotel room I looked it up and there was a blurb about it in the local student paper. They are also renovating some East side stadium club seats to have air conditioning. Geez... air conditioning??? It's a football game!

Here is a photo of the 10,000 new endzone seats they get for $178 million. (sidenote: we could build 3 new stadiums for that).... http://www.texassports.com/webcam.html

Story with exterior illustration: http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/medi...e-2509665.shtml

BTW: UT's opening opponent in 2008 with the new endzone seats? FAU

Edited February 17, 2008 by NT80

Hook 'em & Go Green · February 17, 2008

Thanks for the welcome! While I plan on keeping my UT season tickets, I'm hoping to catch some UNT games on the off weeks. I'd like to make it down to the UNT-Rice game in Houston and hopefully the final home game of the season at Fouts (after the UT-A&M game in Austin the day before, or from what I've heard maybe Thanksgiving Day this year). It sounds like UNT put together a pretty decent recruiting class, so hopefully there will be more wins in '08. I'd love an excuse to travel to New Orleans, so I'm hoping they could win the league title again and make the N.O. Bowl. Maybe a tall order for year two under Dodge, but I think they will be much improved this season. That WKU game last year was brutally cold... but I've been in my fair share of cold games following the Horns to Lincoln, Manhattan, Lawrence, and Boulder over the years! Glad to talk football with y'all! Go Mean Green!

FirefightnRick · February 17, 2008

Welcome to the board. I'm just curious if you also attended the longhorns' game against Arkansas State this past year? If so, which was a better game, it or the UCF game?

Rick

EagleD · February 17, 2008

Here is a photo of the 10,000 new endzone seats they get for $178 million. (sidenote: we could build 3 new stadiums for that).... http://www.texassports.com/webcam.html
Story with exterior illustration: http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/medi...e-2509665.shtml
BTW: UT's opening opponent in 2008 with the new endzone seats? FAU

The $178 million price tag is the cost of the complete renovation of DKR, not just the endzone.

stebo · February 17, 2008

Eagle D, you running tomorrow? My hotel is completely filled with runners! I had no idea that the Austin Marathon drew 11K

NT80 · February 17, 2008

The $178 million price tag is the cost of the complete renovation of DKR, not just the endzone.

I don't see any mention of a complete stadium renovation; just endzone, academic facilities, student center and food court:

"The north end zone, the oldest part of the stadium, which is 80 years old, will undergo renovations over the next two years to add 10,000 permanent seats, a 18,000-square-foot academic center for student-athletes and staff, various academic facilities, a student center and food court that, upon completion, will serve the UT campus year-round."

stebo · February 17, 2008

Well, the article that I read had the bit about air conditioning for the East side stadium seats... It looks like they are getting yet ANOTHER athletic center (what is that, like their 4th one?)... so I can see this project being done at NT for around $35 million... for their cost we could build three brand new stadiums exactly like the one that we want

Mean'n'Green07 · February 17, 2008

Here is a photo of the 10,000 new endzone seats they get for $178 million. (sidenote: we could build 3 new stadiums for that).... http://www.texassports.com/webcam.html
Story with exterior illustration: http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/medi...e-2509665.shtml
BTW: UT's opening opponent in 2008 with the new endzone seats? FAU

Does anyone know how adding only 10k of seats could cost that much? I could understand the cost would be more if they were expanding an upper deck or something like that... are we planning on just using much cheaper supplies and materials for our stadium?

Edited February 17, 2008 by Mean'n'Green07

filmerj · February 17, 2008

Does anyone know how adding only 10k of seats could cost that much? I could understand the cost would be more if they were expanding an upper deck or something like that... are we planning on just using much cheaper supplies and materials for our stadium?

I believe the article stated that it the cost of the project included a new athletic center with a food court and study facilities, I may be wrong. By the way welcome to the board and UNT. Buy season tix.

Edited February 17, 2008 by filmerj

chrisfisher · February 17, 2008

From one grad student to another.... welcome aboard!

chrisfisher · February 17, 2008

Off-topic a bit... probably a question for the admins.... Hook'em was the 8,514 person to register... but why does the main board stats say we only have 3500 members or something like that?

UNTflyer · February 17, 2008

Off-topic a bit... probably a question for the admins.... Hook'em was the 8,514 person to register... but why does the main board stats say we only have 3500 members or something like that?

I'll bet it's because over 5000 spam accounts have been banned.

KRAM1 · February 17, 2008

Welcome aborad...very glad to have you. By the way...have you joined the UNT Exes as yet? Lots of good things happening with the Exes these days...get involved...you will be glad you did.

By the way, RV said that we need folks to buy season tickets! He said at the Exes Mixer last night that it is a GREAT way to show support for athletics and to help get folks who have the BIG BUCKS to donate to our stadium project. It is VERY IMPORTANT that we raise the number of season ticket holders...Football, Basketball, etc., etc.

WELCOME...join the Exes, Join the Mean Green Club and Buy season tickets!

stebo · February 17, 2008

Well, he is a student... so he has season tickets. All students do and they pay more then most alumni for those season tickets in the form on student service fees. He is not an ex yet but he could join the Student chapter for free. I agree with you though - we need our students to take advantage of their season tickets and go to the games.

DallasGreen · February 17, 2008

Does anyone know how adding only 10k of seats could cost that much? I could understand the cost would be more if they were expanding an upper deck or something like that... are we planning on just using much cheaper supplies and materials for our stadium?

The South End Zone improvements cost $25 million with $4million from donations and $21 million from stadium bonds. Of course we think this has to be in reverse and get donor $$ before bond $$. That's why our progress is SOOOOOOOOOOO Slow

Edited February 18, 2008 by DallasGreen

stebo · February 18, 2008

I hear ya Jim... I really do. *shrugs*

Hook 'em & Go Green · February 18, 2008

Someone asked which was the better game last year for UT, Ark. St. or UCF. I'd have to say the UCF game was better, but both were way too close for comfort. All of us orangebloods were concerned over the lackluster performances over these teams that we certainly outclassed talent-wise. Last season the team seemed to lack any sort of fire when it came right down to it. So that lead to the loss to A&M, where the Ags wanted it more and thoroughly dominated the game. This offseason, UT added Will Muschamnp to the defensive staff as the coordinator and brought Major Applewhite back to Austin on the offensive staff, so I expect a much better work ethic this year. The Holiday Bowl win was impressive and I hope that leads to a good start to spring practices and a solid '08 campaign. But like most Texas fans, I want to see wins vs. OU & A&M and a conference championship. With the talent we have there's no reason those things can't happen. A lot of it can be attributed to coaching, so I'm hoping these staff changes help get us back to the BCS.

On the topic of UNT season tickets, I will attend at least one or two home games as a student this fall. Beyond that, I'll still hold on to my UT season tickets, but would like to support UNT as well. I thought I might buy UNT season tickets after I graduate and come to the games I can when I'm not at a Longhorn game. Do any of you know if I bought UNT season tickets in the future, is there a way to donate my tickets to other fans or a youth program if I am unable to attend certain games?

I am a member of the Texas Exes and was involved in the Texas Exes Student Chapter as an undergrad at UT. I am definitely planning on joining the North Texas Exes as well after I complete my grad program in May '09 (knock on wood). If UNT has a student chapter of the North Texas Exes, I would be interested in joining that while I'm still in school.

What do y'all expect next year from the UNT football team? I think the Sun Belt games are all winnable, but going on the road to FAU and MTSU will probably present the biggest challenge. The home games vs. ULL, FIU, ASU, Troy, and OOC vs. Tulsa I think all could be won, with Tulsa and Troy presenting the biggest challenge. I don't think we can expect wins at K-State or LSU, but the Rice game is winnable as are conference road games at ULM and WKU (I realize WKU still has one more year of transition into the conference and technically is still a non-Sun Belt game). All that being said, my early bird projection is for UNT to finish at 8-4 (6-1 in conference). Wins vs. Rice, ULL, ULM, Troy, MTSU, ASU, FIU, and WKU... losses vs. LSU, KSU, FAU, and Tulsa. I may be overestimating, but I think the Mean Green has a shot at the SBC title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl, or perhaps another bowl game as an at-large selection as the SBC runner-up. What do you guys think? Could Dodge Ball Year 2 see the Mean Green back in a bowl game... what are your projections?